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4 hours ago
Britain’s King Charles III will return to a “normal” schedule of foreign travel next year after his just-concluded visits to Australia and Samoa proved a “great tonic”, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said. In February of this year, it became known that the king was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor and he was forced to significantly reduce the number of public events during the period of treatment.
Britain’s King Charles III expects to return to his “normal” schedule next year, a Buckingham Palace source told the BBC’s Sean Coughlan.
In February, Buckingham Palace announced that the king had been diagnosed with cancer and was forced to significantly reduce the number of public events during his treatment. Since April, Karl began to appear in public more often, but his schedule still remains lighter compared to the times before his cancer diagnosis.
According to one of the representatives of Buckingham Palace, work is now underway on a “busy” program for the king’s foreign tour for next year.
“It is impossible to overstate the joy that comes from duty, service, being in public, meeting crowds of people, interacting with the entire spectrum of communities. It really lifts his spirits. This is visible,” said a palace spokesman.
Keeping busy is how the king wants to respond to his cancer diagnosis, writes BBC royal affairs correspondent Sean Coughlan. That could include overseas visits in the spring and fall of 2025, provided his doctors give permission.
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The King has just completed a visit to Australia and Samoa. He was very pleased with the trip, the source said, and is determined to make foreign visits as usual next year.
The king’s cancer treatment has not yet been completed. It has been suspended while traveling overseas and will continue on return to the UK. On the advice of doctors, the tour did not include a visit to New Zealand.
“He truly loved this tour. He really excelled in this program. She lifted his spirit, mood and contributed to his recovery. In this sense, the tour – despite all its demands – was the ideal tonic,” said a palace spokesman.
There were a few moments during the visit that could have been uncomfortable: during a speech in the Australian Parliament, one of the senators interrupted him with shouts, and at the Commonwealth summit in Samoa, the discussion of reparations for slavery received the most attention. But the king was not at all affected by this, a palace spokesman said.
“He has been living in the world for a long time. As always, he remained calm and continued. “He believes that freedom of speech is the cornerstone of democracy, and therefore everyone has the right to their own point of view,” said a Buckingham Palace spokesman.
